title: Middle-aged and older men who have sex with men exhibit multiple trajectories with respect to the number of sexual partners.
abstract: This study aimed to examine trajectories with respect to the number of sexual partners among older men who have sex with men and to determine characteristics associated with trajectory groups. Nagin's group-based modeling was used to identify trajectories for 237 men from the Pitt Men's Study with respect to the number of male intercourse partners from age 50.0 to 59.5. Three distinct trajectory groups were identified. Most men (69.2%) had a median of two sexual partners in the past 6 months across the age range of the study. A smaller group (19.4%) had low or no sex partners. The smallest group (11.4%) had 30 or more sexual partners in the past 6 months at age 50. The groups were statistically different with respect to race, HIV status, drug use (marijuana, poppers, crack cocaine, and Viagra), the number of unprotected anal sex partners, and personal attitudes towards sex.
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA. shl18@pitt.edu
authors.forename: Sin How
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Charles Lafayette
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Christen
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Marshal
authors.forename: Ronald D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Stall
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Markovic
authors.forename: Kevin H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Anthony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Silvestre
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008954:Models, Biological; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012747:Sexual Partners; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D047568:Unsafe Sex / Q000706:statistics & numerical data